The problem with prickles
QUESTION Why hasn’t a rose breeder produced one without thorns? For many years, rose hybridisers have been trying to grow thornless roses but with limited success.
In 1868, the Frenchman Bizot had his sole triumph with Zephirine Drouhin, a pink Bourbon climber/shrub, which probably remains the best example there is. Alexander Dickson, from Ireland, introduced a sport (i.e. mutation) from it in 1911, and he called it Kathleen Harrop. It still enjoys a fair amount of popularity.
Perhaps the most concentrated effort came from Dr Niels E. Hansen who, in the U.S. in the late Thirties, introduced a whole series of genuine thornless roses, all with the prefix Pax, including Pax Amanda, Pax Apollo and Pax Lola. They were all from his work with the species rosa blanda. Although he eliminated the thorns completely, he failed to tackle the original rose’s other failings, including its propensity to succumb to mildew and black spot.
Many other roses are described as ‘almost thornless’, including Veilchenblau, Ulrich Brunner fils, Goldfinch, Georg Arends, Duchess of Montebello, Duchess of Buccleugh, Mrs John Laing, First Love and the miniature Cinderella.
Jim McIntyre, North Leverton, Notts.
QUESTION How were nails trimmed before the invention of scissors? SCISSorS as we know them, with two separate blades and arms with finger loops connected by a pivot, first appeared in England in the late 13th century.
Before then, snips or small shears were used, operated by squeezing together two iron blades connected by a flat ‘bow’ or spring — very small versions of the oldfashioned hand shears used on sheep. The romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans all used them. In Latin they were called forfex, in old English sceára, in old Norse skera and in Anglo-Norman forces or cisaille.
There is evidence from the Iron Age of nails being cleaned and pared with tiny iron blades set in bone handles. Ancient Egyptian aristocrats had regular manicures from their servants, who used small bronze knives, abrasive stones and possibly a type of henna varnish.
Niuserre, a 5th dynasty pharoah, had two court officials who were titled ‘overseers of the Manicurists in the Palace of the King’, indicating a high degree of pampering for the royal nails. The poorer elements of Egyptian society had no such luxuries, and their nails were simply abraded down with small pieces of sandstone. David Rayner, Canterbury, Kent.
QUESTION With all the various communications now available, does anyone still use a CB radio? FUrTHEr to the previous answer about the popularity of CB radio, and the inference that it has now been overtaken by technology, another group of radio enthusiasts uses arguably anachronistic transmission methods.
I refer to the three million licensed radio amateurs — hams — worldwide, many of whom can still be heard on the shortwave bands using morse code.
readers of a certain age will remember Tony Hancock’s episode The radio Ham, where he was surrounded by racks of equipment full of knobs and dials. Ham radio has moved on considerably since those days and embraced technology with enthusiasm.
My radio is completely computer controlled — the only front-panel control is the on/off switch, and although I enjoy using morse code as a personal skill, my morse key is now a keyboard.
What sets radio hams apart from CB operators is the wide selection of wavebands we are permitted to use (and the fact we have to pass exams to obtain a licence).
This freedom of the airwaves enables us to communicate with other like-minded people all over the world or just down the street; and we can set up our own TV station, bounce signals off the Moon, use dozens of dedicated amateur radio communications satellites and talk directly to the International Space Station.
In times of crisis, when the mobile phone infrastructure is most likely to fail through overload, we have a dedicated emergency communications network manned by volunteers. Known as rAYNET (the radio Amateur Emergency Network) members are on call round-the-clock to assist the emergency services. The important thing though, where both CB and amateur radio score over mobile phones and Skype, is that our communication is direct: we have no need for any intermediate technology to pass our signals on. I can talk to Walt in New York or Bruce in Sydney with only the ether between his aerial and mine.
Phil Cragg, British Amateur Radio
Station G3UGK, Bournemouth, Dorset.
QUESTION What are the 24 universities in the Russell Group? How do they qualify, and who was Russell? THE russell Group was formed at a meeting at the Hotel russell in London in 1994, soon after the university sector expanded and diversified.
Vice- chancellors from civic, researchintensive institutions — often with medical schools — met because they wanted to work together to maintain the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience, and the international competitiveness of UK higher education.
Membership of the russell Group is reviewed on a regular basis and has been extended to new members, although it is by invitation only.
Institutions invited to join have demonstrated excellence in research, innovation and education, and a critical mass of research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. There are no published criteria for membership, and invitations are entirely at the russell Group discretion.
The 24 members are the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Imperial College (London), King’s College (London), Leeds, Liverpool, London School of Economics and Political Science, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, oxford, Queen Mary University of London, Queen’s University Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton, University College London, Warwick and York.